Frederic, Lord Leighton

1830–1896

*Preparing for a Festa, Florence*
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Biography

Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subject matter in an academic style. His paintings were enormously popular, and expensive, during his lifetime, but fell out of critical favour for many decades in the early 20th century.

Leighton was the bearer of the shortest-lived peerage in history; after only one day his hereditary peerage became extinct upon his death.

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Artworks

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Frederic, Lord Leighton Preparing for a Festa, Florence

date not known

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Frederic, Lord Leighton An Athlete Wrestling with a Python

1877

On display at Tate Britain part of Walk Through British Art
Frederic, Lord Leighton And the Sea Gave Up the Dead Which Were in It

exhibited 1892

On display at Tate Britain part of Walk Through British Art
Frederic, Lord Leighton The Bath of Psyche

exhibited 1890

On display at Tate Britain part of Walk Through British Art
Frederic, Lord Leighton Lieder ohne Worte

exhibited 1861

On display at Tate Britain part of Walk Through British Art
Frederic, Lord Leighton The Sluggard

1885
Frederic, Lord Leighton Helios and Rhodes

date not known
Frederic, Lord Leighton Samson Carrying the Gate

published 1881

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See all 27

Artist as subject

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Sir Max Beerbohm The Man from Hymettus. Mr Frederick Leighton

1916
Henry Scott Tuke Register of paintings by Henry Scott Tuke

1879–1923
Stanhope Alexander Forbes, recipient: Elizabeth Forbes Letter from Stanhope Forbes to Elizabeth Armstrong

26 December 1887

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Anita Bartle, Grant Richards (London, UK) This is my Birthday

1902

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Stanhope Alexander Forbes, recipient: Elizabeth Forbes Letter from Stanhope Forbes to Elizabeth Armstrong

date not known

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Anita Bartle, Grant Richards (London, UK) This is my Birthday

1902

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Stanhope Alexander Forbes, recipient: Elizabeth Forbes Letter from Stanhope Forbes to Elizabeth Armstrong, addressed 11 Elgin Avenue, London

19 May 1887

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Features

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Online Guide

A Queer Walk Through British Art

Discover queer responses to our collection, curated by members of the LGBTQ+ community at Tate and beyond
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Tate Papers

The Materials Used by British Oil Painters in the Nineteenth Century

Joyce H. Townsend

This paper reviews existing literature on nineteenth-century British artists’ materials. Sources of information, such as colourmen’s archives, artists’ diaries and …